All I Want for Christmas
by Bella7
Summary: EC "It's Christmas, for God's sake. Find some mistletoe and make it happen." The team experiences the joy and horror of the annual Christmas Grab-Bag. R/R.


AN: The scamp is back! Just a fluffy little Christmas ficlet to get us all in the holiday spirit. Warning: to understand the significance of Calleigh's gift you're going to probably want to read Addiction, also by me. Trust me, you'll like it. This story would not be possible without the lovely and talented SomewhereApart. She rocks, she rules, she helps a lot. Other than that, everything that happens to our fair CSIs in this story has happened to me. Keep that in mind. Happy reading!

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**All I Want for Christmas**

No one could remember who had started the annual Christmas Grab-Bag, but it had been going on forever. Every year on the first of December the members of the day shift gathered in the break room at the end of the day and drew names from a bowl.

This year was no exception.

"Come on, people," Stetler was waving the shuffling staff into the room, looking annoyed. "Some of us want to get home."

"Yes, I'm sure your cat's very lonely, Rick," Horatio said, dropping down on the edge of one of the sofas.

Stetler glared but said nothing as the rest of the team took their places around the room. "All right," he cleared his throat as scraps of paper and pens were passed around. "Everyone knows the drill; for those of you who don't, keep your selection to yourself, spending limit is between twenty and thirty." He grabbed a nearby plastic bowl and passed it around, starting with Calleigh. "Exchange is on the twenty-third, before the holiday shift takes over."

The bowl was passed a second time and when it returned to Stetler, it was empty of paper. "Well," Stetler set the bowl back on the table and looked around, "you all have your target—good luck," he gave an awkward raise of his hand. "Uh…happy holidays."

Calleigh was tucking her name into her bag when she felt Natalia sidle up next to her. "Is it just me, or does it seem like it hurts him to say that?" the brunette asked, folding her slip of paper.

Calleigh chuckled and shook her head as Ryan joined them. "Who'd you get?" he asked, holding open the door.

"I'm not telling," Calleigh admonished.

"Oh, c'mon."

"No, it's the rules."

"Cal," Eric appeared on her other side, "every year everyone says they're not going to tell, and every year, everyone does. So c'mon," he nudged her ribs, "who'd you get?"

"Nope," she shook her head resolutely. "I'm not budging."

"I think it's kind of rude to make us do this," Natalia put in, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "When does anyone have time to shop when they give us one day off every two weeks?"

"Shop online," Ryan said with a wave of his hand. "It's way easier that way."

She made a face. "I don't know…credit card numbers…identity theft…"

"I don't worry about that," Eric commented. "No one could do more damage to my credit than I did." He grinned, "Hell, they might even improve it."

"At least you can laugh about it," Calleigh smiled up at him.

"It's either that or cry," he said with a shrug as the four of them splintered from the rest of the team. Eric looked behind him. "Really, Cal—no one's around, who'd you get?"

Calleigh sighed. "I'm only doing this because I'm already at a loss…" she dug into her purse. "Maxine."

"Oh, she's going to be disappointed," Natalia said. "She was hoping to get Ryan again."

"Why?" Calleigh asked, not bothering to hide her surprise.

Natalia smirked. "She said he always buys the best porn."

Ryan shrugged modestly. "It's a gift."

"I'll trade you," Calleigh offered her slip.

"Nah," he shook his head. "She'll appreciate me more if I take a year off here and there."

Natalia laughed and shook her head. "Well guys," she hitched her purse up onto her shoulder again, "happy shopping."

**0x0x0**

"Happy shopping," Calleigh grumbled under her breath, pulling her hair into a low ponytail. "Right." She tucked her feet under her on the sofa and pulled her computer into her lap. Her fingers twitched nervously over the keys…where to start?

Natalia had been helpful—incredibly helpful—she'd basically handed Calleigh Valera's gift idea on a platter. Her help had come at a cost, of course. But Calleigh had been more than happy to offer suggestions on what Horatio would want from Santa Claus.

It was the actual purchasing of Valera's gift that was proving to be difficult. She knew it was out there, existing somewhere, floating around in cyberspace. She knew it was within the price range. She even knew it was exactly what Valera wanted. She just…

"Come on, Calleigh," she said to herself, taking a deep breath. "It's just a stupid website—no one is even going to know you were on it." She glanced down at the note stuck in her planner with the address and began to type. "Just do it and then it will be done and you won't have to worry about it."

Cubano leaped nimbly up onto the back of the couch and settled across her shoulders, watching her internet activity with interest. "Cubano," Calleigh looked up and met his green eyes with hers, "you shouldn't be looking at this stuff—it's not good for kitties."

The cat shot her a look as if to say it wasn't good for Calleighs either.

She was feeling quite accomplished by the end of the afternoon—her credit card effectively charged and Valera's gift successfully on its way.

It wasn't until the next week, when Ryan appeared in ballistics with a box for her, that she regretted ever pulling Maxine's name from that bowl.

"Package for one Miss Calleigh Duquesne," he said cheerfully, setting the box down on her counter.

"Ooh," Eric looked up from the report he was signing. "Get anything good?"

Before she could snatch it away, Ryan glanced at the return address. "Something from Babeland…Babeland…why does that name sound familiar?"

"It's that online sex store," Eric filled in without a thought. "Someone used one of their products last year to…" His eyes widened suddenly and he trailed off with a cough.

"Calleigh…" Ryan's mouth twitched into a grin. "Is this what I think it is?"

Calleigh seized the box and gave a hard swallow. "It's nothing."

"Really?" he asked, forcing his mouth into a serious line. "It's okay, Cal. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

A violent shade of purple was creeping over her collarbone to travel up her neck. "It's not…I don't…"

Eric could no longer suppress his own smile. "You don't what?" he teased, sliding the report across the table.

"It's for Valera—I had it sent to work because it needed to be signed for," Calleigh snapped with a hiss. "I don't need a new vibrator." She held the box tightly to her chest and began collecting her files. She glanced up quickly to see both men looking at her curiously. "Oh, what?"

Ryan raised his eyebrows. "New vibrator, Cal?"

"So that means the old one's working just fine then?" Eric managed before a chuckle slipped out.

The purple hue had traveled from her neck all the way up to her forehead by this point. "I'm leaving. I have work to do." She had only left them in stitches for a moment before she returned and pointed to the door. "This is my lab," she reminded. "You leave."

They did, but not without their hyena laughs echoing the whole way down the hall.

Calleigh sighed and set her jaw. She hated the Christmas Grab-Bag.

**0x0x0**

It was a few days before Calleigh was able to meet the eyes of either Eric or Ryan. While the former was going out of his way not to cackle each time she left the room, the latter had bigger fish to fry.

Texas sized, detective fish, to be precise.

He had started out the month trying to follow the rules. Really, he had. He hadn't told anyone his mark and he'd been trying to draw hints out of Frank for over a week with no success.**  
**It was time to ask for help.

"Hey there my fair-haired friend," Ryan greeted as Calleigh breezed through the doors of Trace. "You're looking lovely today."

Calleigh raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

He dropped his act. "Help. You know Frank better than I do."

She smiled and began unloading her box of evidence. "That's true."

"What does he want for Christmas?"

"A girlfriend," she answered with a playful smile. "At least, last I heard."

"Great," Ryan frowned. "That's helpful."

"Oh, come on—lighten up. It's not like he's a mystery—he's a single dad who likes to barbecue and golf."

His expression brightened. "He golfs?"

"Yep—he and Horatio go a few times a year."

Ryan turned back to the computer. "What do you get a golfer for between twenty and thirty bucks?"

Calleigh shrugged. "Some new golf balls…a nice marker—maybe personalized?"

"Where would I find something like that?"

She bounced her shoulders again. "I don't know…sports stores?"

Ryan's fingers flew suddenly over the keys. "Yeah," he nodded and hit the enter key before turning around. "So what did you get over at the vic's office?"

Calleigh opened her mouth to answer but her eyes drifted over his shoulder and the computer screen. "Uh…Ryan?"

"What?" he spun around to face the screen, horrified at what had resulted from his web address. _MEN! MEN! MEN! GAY PORN HAVEN! EVERYONE LOVES A GOOD POUNDING! _"Oh my God."

"What did you type in?" she asked, her eyes growing wide. "Balls dot com?"

"Dicks!" he exclaimed, slamming his fingers against the keys in an effort to stop the pop-ups that were flooding the screen. "You know…the sports store?"

Eric and Natalia entered the lab together, discussing a tox report. Eric stopped suddenly at the sound of the virus alarms going off. "What's up with the computer?" he asked, stepping up to take a closer look. "Whoa…"

"Can you fix it?" Ryan asked desperately.

"You know you're not supposed to use these computers for personal use, Wolfe," Eric shook his head.

"It wasn't for personal use!" Ryan cried. "I mean…it was, but it wasn't…Calleigh, tell him!"

Calleigh's eyes grew wide and innocent. "In Ryan's defense, he was definitely searching for Dicks."

Natalia snorted into her hand while the virus alarms grew louder and more insistent. "Well…looks like you found them."

Ryan made a sound of frustration. "The store!" he wailed. "We love sports as much as you do?"

Eric made a face at the content that was popping up. "I don't think anyone is loving sports around here."

"Oh, wait" Calleigh pointed to the screen. "There's a link for the soccer team sluts."

"I stand corrected," he laughed before pushing away from the computer. "I can't fix this—we're going to have to shut the system down."

"Oh man."

"Yeah," he shook his head. "Have fun explaining this to IAB."

The three of them left Ryan alone with the virus sirens and .

He raked a hand through his hair. "I hate Christmas," he said aloud. "I really, really do."

**0x0x0**

Eric, despite how his colleagues may have felt about the holiday, was not hating Christmas. Normally, Eric would have been right there, suffering along with his friends, cursing the season and the stupid Grab-Bag that went along with it. Wondering what in the hell anyone could possibly buy for Miami's own personal super hero—a cape? A new pair of sunglasses? Turning into a stress case because what should have been a pleasant exchange of gifts between co-workers had once again turned into a guided tour through shopping hell.

But not this year.

This year, Eric _loved _Christmas. He was brimming with holiday glee—humming carols under his breath at work, decorating his apartment weeks earlier than usual, turning on the 25 Days of Christmas tv-movie specials every night. Surely, even the Whos down in Whoville would have been jealous of his Christmas spirit.

As for everyone else, Eric oozing holiday cheer was just another reason to be Grinchy. Even Calleigh who, as a rule, was never Grinchy. Ever.

"Eric, you've gotta stop," she said suddenly, laying her magnifying glass down on the table.

He looked up from his microscope, surprised. "Stop what?"

"You've been humming Silent Night under your breath for the past twenty minutes—pick a new song."

"Have I?" he asked, pulling a sheepish face. "Sorry—didn't realize."

She allowed a smile to inch over her face. "You've been in a really good mood lately—what's going on?"

"Nothing," he shrugged, returning to work to hide his grin. "Just…y'know…excited for Christmas."

"Mmm hmm…" Calleigh eyed him carefully. "Who'd you get for the grab-bag?"

He shook his head. "I'm not telling."

"Come on," she urged. "I told you!"

"Because you needed help," he reminded. "I'm not telling, Cal. It's the rules."

Her eyes narrowed. "Did you get me?"

He smirked but did not look up from his work. "No, Frank got you."

Calleigh gasped. "He did not."

"He did so, he showed me the slip himself."

"That means he lied to me—he told me he got Natalia."

Eric shrugged easily. "Frank lies all the time."

"He most certainly does not," she exclaimed, swatting his arm playfully. "Well if you don't have me, who do you have?"

"Cal, you're wasting your time—I'm not telling."

As Eric watched her return to work with a sigh of frustration, he could help but start humming again.

Jingle Bells this time.

**0x0x0**

It happened every year. Nobody understood it, everyone tried to combat it, but still, without fail, December proved to be the fastest month of the year.

The gift exchange went relatively smooth. Frank was pleased with his Nike golf balls and personalized maker—Ryan was even kind enough not to mention how much hell he had caught in the quest for them. Horatio teared up when he unwrapped Natalia's gift—a leather bound copy of _Hamlet_. Natalia in turn unwrapped a lovely pair of sterling silver earrings and, with a squeal, pulled a very blushy Frank into a hug.

Calleigh watched the exchange with interest from the other side of the break room before turning to Eric. "You," she pointed accusingly, "are a liar."

He grinned and removed her present from under the tabletop tree. "I know."

"And you lied at Christmas," she continued, "which is even worse."

"Calleigh," he pushed the present into her hands. "Just open it."

She shot him a bashful grin before sliding her finger under the wrapping paper and breaking the tape. It took a few more minutes of careful unwrapping before her eyes fell upon her gift and she let out a gasp.

_Untamed Wilderness: The Complete Savanna Series_

Her eyes grew wide. "I've been looking at this on the website for months!" she exclaimed in a whisper, her fingers running over the boxed set of five romance novels. "How did you know?"

Eric shrugged. "It was a guess."

She studied the titles closely before letting out another gasp. "This has the last book in the series!" she said in a giddy hush. "I didn't even think she was releasing it until January."

He chuckled. "Now you can find out what finally happens between her and Angelo."

Calleigh's smile stretched from ear to ear. "Can I ask you a question?" she asked, still running her fingers lovingly over the raised lettering and artwork. "Did you buy one of these for yourself?"

He looked down. "Maybe."

She giggled. "I won't tell."

"I just…y'know…I have a lot to catch up on."

Calleigh stretched up onto her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his stubbly cheek. "Thank you, Eric."

Taken aback as he always was by her displays of affection, Eric stumbled out a timid "Merry Christmas" before she scurried away to hide the gift in her locker. Eric felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned to see Valera standing before him, proffering a gift bag.

"Merry Christmas, Grab-Bag recipient," she said with a smile.

Eric accepted the gift with a smile. "I'm a little nervous after what you got Ryan last year…"

"Some guys are into that," she defended immediately. "And don't worry—I was tame."

He removed the tissue paper and pulled out a bottle of wine with a small, square box taped to the side. "This is a good year," he noted the label, impressed with her choice. Eric set the wine back in the bag and turned his attention to the little wrapped box that was left. He tore the paper away to reveal another box covered in black suede—he pushed it open to reveal a set of ornately painted metal balls. "Chinese meditation balls?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "You think I need to start meditating?"

Before she could answer, Valera's attention had wandered to Calleigh's reentrance. "Calleigh," she squealed, pulling the blonde into a tight hug, "thank you so much! It's just what I wanted."

Calleigh laughed. "Well, I'm glad I got the right one."

"No," she assured her. "It's perfect. It can go right in my purse."

Ryan appeared on the other side of Valera, a giddy grin plastered to his face. "You guys are going to be so jealous when you see what I got from Horatio Claus." They waited with baited breath while he removed a shiny black pair of aviators from his pocket and placed them proudly on his face.

Valera gasped. "You're right," she exclaimed. "I _am _jealous!"

"Those look pretty good, Ryan," Calleigh commented with a laugh before the two of them wandered over to show Natalia.

Valera turned back to Eric with raised eyebrows. "No," she answered his earlier question. "I don't want you to start meditating. Those," she motioned to the gift in his hands, "are balls. I got them for you because you _obviously_ don't have any yourself!"

"What?"

She made a face and pointed to Calleigh. "Don't play dumb with me."

"Valera, I can't just…" he stumbled. "It's not like it's… I mean it's Calleigh and it's…"

"Complicated?" she asked, deadpanned.

"Kind of."

Valera reached down and picked up the bottle of wine. "You're not allowed to drink this by yourself," she commanded. "It's Christmas, for God's sake. Find some mistletoe and make it happen."

She had scampered off to show Natalia her new toy, leaving Eric alone with his very confusing thoughts.

The party broke up not too long after that with wishes of Merry Christmas and promises to call one another for post-Christmas shopping. There was the packaging of baked goods, lots of, "Please take these home—if you don't eat them, I will," and a general hustle to get of CSI before anyone's phone went off.

Eric was packing up in the locker room when Calleigh came in, juggling a plate of cookies and a small, potted poinsettia plant. He smiled. "You have a secret admirer?"

She rolled her eyes and set everything down on the bench. "They're from my dad—an early apology for us not spending Christmas together."

"He's still in Louisiana?"

Calleigh shrugged. "I guess things are working out. Doesn't matter," she said with a grin, "since I've got plenty of new books to keep me busy while I'm off."

Eric smiled again, Valera's words coming back to him. _It's Christmas, for God's sake…make it happen. _"Uh…Calleigh?"

She looked up from fiddling with her combination. "Yeah?"

"What are you…I mean…are you…" he coughed. "Have any plans tonight?"

"Tonight?" she repeated with a surprised blink. "Not really. Why?"

"Well, I mean…" he stumbled again—what exactly was he going to ask her to do? Why hadn't he thought this through before? "I sort of put off all of my gift wrapping until the last minute and…" he scratched the back of his neck. "_It's a Wonderful Life_'s on, I have this whole bottle of wine…I don't know…maybe you want to join me?"

Calleigh blinked again and finally managed to pop open the lock on her door. She bit her lip for a moment before giving him a smile. "I'd like that."

It took all Eric had not to let out his breath in a big _whoosh._ "That's great…that's…yeah."

"When do you want me?" They stared at one another for a long, embarrassed moment before she rushed on. "In your…at your place…er…what time should I come over?"

He grinned. "How about eight?"

"Eight is good," Calleigh nodded before pulling open her locker door. A flash of green caught her eye. "What in the world…?"

Stuck to the top of her locker was a sprig of mistletoe wrapped with a red ribbon. Beneath it was a small post-it note that read, "It's tradition, damnit! Merry Christmas! Love, Santa".

Eric let out a nervous chuckle while Calleigh averted her eyes, a pink hue sliding over her cheeks. "It's probably just Valera," she said with an anxious twirl of her earring. "She's…y'know…Valera."

"Well," he cleared his throat, thinking once more of his gift from that particular Santa. "It is tradition, Cal." Her eyes were widened in surprise when she looked up, but she wasn't protesting so Eric leaned forward. He cupped her cheek with a hand, stroking her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb for just a moment before closing the distance between them and covering her mouth with his. He felt her lean into him, loving the taste of peppermint and coffee he found on her lips, knowing the rest of her would taste just as good.

She pulled away after only a few moments and he looked at her closely, searching for some kind of sign that they were still okay. She smiled and pulled the mistletoe down from her locker before closing the door.

He watched, waiting for someone to speak, while she hitched up her purse and grabbed her cookies and flowers. "I'll see you at eight," she called playfully over her shoulder.

Eric could feel how ridiculous he must have looked, standing alone in an empty locker room, grinning like an idiot, but he couldn't have cared less.

It was going to be a very merry Christmas.

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Rights belong to:

Dr. Seuss for any Grinch references

Dick's Sporting Goods and their slogan

Frank Capra for It's a Wonderful Life

and..., for unknowingly letting me use their website.

Oh! And Babeland also for their website. And for having a wonderful selection of vibrators for Valera.

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Tis the season for glowing reviews! Love and kisses!


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